ALBANY — An apparently suicidal man was charged with a felony and misdemeanors after authorities allege, he tried to repeatedly disarm a cop — a Green County deputy responding to check on the man here on February 8, 2025.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Green County Circuit Court, the suspect, Jonathon P. Chitwood, 55, of Albany, was on the phone with Albany Police Chief Robert Ritter for about an hour prior to the dispatch of the deputy to help with the call at about 10:10 a.m. that Saturday. 

From their conversation, Ritter said the suspect told him he was driving around while talking to the chief, but the chief believed his suspect was at or near the local Dollar General. Thus directed on the radio, the deputy pulled up and saw Chitwood in a car on the phone but could not see his hands. 

“At this time, I observed Jonathan make a targeted glance to my right side, where my pistol was, in its holster,” said deputy Brett R. Hermanson, according to the criminal complaint. ‘Jonathan also got the “Thousand-Yard Stare.”

The next sequence of events alleged by prosecutors is an especially horrifying prospect to anyone in law enforcement:

“As I radioed dispatch, Jonathan came back at me. I managed to keep Jonathan at arm’s length using my left arm. As I radioed dispatch, Jonathan reached for my pistol again, 2 to 3 times. I was able to radio dispatch to request another unit to my location.”

Chitwood was later safely arrested, and given medical help, but not before a continued struggle, recounted in the complaint, in which he and the suspect fought more during attempts to handcuff him and take him into custody. 

The incident raged on as backup was rolling up, according to the complaint:

“Jonathan landed on his right side. I then secured his left arm and attempted to pull it behind his back. Jonathan tensed his arm up,” the officer reported. “I instructed Jonathan to put his hand behind his back, he did not follow commands. I was then able to leverage his left arm behind his back.”

Finally, with the suspect in custody, the deputy and Jonathon Chitwood had a brief conversation: “I told Jonathan he could not go for a police officer’s gun,” the deputy said, in the complaint.

“I did,” came the reply, “I told Jonathan I know he did.”

As result of the ordeal with police, Chitwood was charged with attempting to disarm a peace officer, a Class H Felony in Wisconsin, along with misdemeanor counts for resisting an officer and disorderly conduct. 

“Jonathan stated he would have been better off not calling Chief Ritter,” to talk him down about his alleged suicidal ideation, according to the complaint.

But latter, he reportedly apologized to officers and repeatedly blamed his lingering and untreated mental illness for his behavior. Finally, the suspect allegedly told police that his attempt to reach out to county social services had not worked, leading him to call Ritter for what was essentially mental health assistance.

His first court appearance is a preliminary hearing scheduled on Friday, February, 21, before Circuit Judge Faun M. Phillipson. A $2,000 signature bond was authorized to obtain his release on February 11. A jail deputy on Thursday confirmed that he had been released on that day.